Door-holding device.



Patented July 4, I899. CPW. SPUNSE'L.

DOOR HOLDING DEVICE.

7% M S a W W m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES XV. SPONSEL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

DOOR-HOLDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,366, dated July 4,1899.

Application filed (Tune 27, 1898.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. SPoNsEL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Door-Holding Devices, of which the following readily and quickly applied to doors of differing heights from the floor without the use of tools, screws, or other fastening means and without mutilatin g or abradin g the door, doorcasing, or floor.

A further object contemplated is to produce a device which can be manufactured at small cost from inexpensive material, packed in close compass for storage or transportation, and which may be sold at a low price andbe attractive in form, style, and finish.

The preferred embodiment of myinvent-ion is shown in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents aplan View; Fig. 2, an end View, and Fig. 3 a side view. Fig.4 is a perspective View of a door held in an open position by means of one of the devices of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is aperspective view showing one of the devices by itself.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is preferably made in an integral piece from spring-wire of asize to give the desired stiffness or tension. The device consists of two principal portions, the base 10 and the door-engagin g arm 11. The latter is provided with an ascending series of steps 12, 13, 14, and 15, of a height adapted to suit that of doors in common use. These steps are preferably increased in height in ascending the series, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to allow for the greater amplitudeof movement of the higher steps, due to their increased distance from the hinge or connection with the base. The treads of these steps are substantially horizontal, so as to press directly upward H against the bottom of the respective doors,

hus obviating the tendency to crowd the door and; its holder away from each other, which m gl t be expected in the case of a Serial No. 684,570. (No model.)

wedge or any other device not acting in a vertical direction.

The base portion 10 of the, holder is preferably made in the arched form shown in order to extend the resilient length of action of the device. The ends of this arched base are shaped so as to rest evenly upon the floor, the rearward ends 16 17 being preferably curvedinwardly toward each other to prevent them from catchingin rugs, carpets, or other floor-covering, and to impart a suitable finished appearance. These ends are also preferably sheathed with rubberor similar yielding material to increase its holding power upon a'tiled or waxed floor. This sheathing also serves to prevent all possible abrasion I or injury, and may also, if desired, be applied to the opposite end of the base or be extended over the entire device, soas to protect the door also.

In order to secure a suitable degree of stability to the device, so that it shall not be easily overturned, the area covered by the base portion 10 is extended considerably wider than the door engaging arm 11 by means of thereaches 18, of wire, which also impart considerable torsional resiliency to the connection between the base and the arm.

Although this device is preferably made of spring-wire having a suitable degree of re siliency, it may be formed of ordinary wire and subsequently tempered. It is not an essential feature'that the wire should be circular in cross-section, since wire of square, rectangular, or oval cross-sections may be used, if desired.

In order to use this device to best advantage, it is applied to a door in the manner-represented in Fig. i. WVith the base resting upon the fioor the door-engaging arm 11 is depressed to the desired extent by means of I suit the taste or fancy or to adapt the device to particular uses or environments. For ordinary uses it may be considered unnecessary to sheath the base with rubber or similar material, as shown at 16 and 17; but this is considered preferable where the device is to-be used upon a tiled or waxed or hardwood fioor. For use in connection with highly-finished doors it may be desirable to sheath the entire device to prevent abrasion. This may be most neatly and expeditiously done by drawing a piece of small rubber tubing along the wire over'its entire length, the elastic tubing conforming readily even to the stepped portions of the door-engaging arm.

The embodiment of my invention shown herein is adapted to be nested closely together for packing and transportation. To enable them thus to be nested to best advantage, the base portions 10 should be sprung apart far enough to clear the sides of the door-engaging arms 11. The tension of these base members 12 against thesides of the nested arms serves to hold thepackage firmly together, or the rearward ends of the base members 10 might be turned in small circles,

as shown by dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 1, so as to enable them'to be stacked or nested together without any contact between the bases and the arms.

Another great advantage of this device residing in its adaptability to the holding of doors of differing heights from the floor is that of obviating the necessity for manufacturing it in sets of different sizes. Only one size need be manufactured and kept in stock,

' which is an important consideration to manufacturers and dealers as well as to the ultimate users.

I claim as my invention- 1. A door-holder consisting of a base having a resiliently-mounted door-engaging arm provided with a series of steps for adapting it to doors of diflering heights.

2. A door-holder having a door-engaging arm provided with a series of steps for adapt ing it to doors of difiering heights, the arm being resiliently mounted to oscillate upon an axis in su bstantially the same horizontal plane with'its lowest step.

3. A door-holding device formed in an integral piece, of rod or wire, and comprising a base portion to rest upon the floor, and a resilient doorengaging arm extending from the base in an ascending series of steps, the lowest of which is equal in height to the thickness of the rod or wire. I

Signed by me, at Hartford,Connecticut, this 25th day of June, 1898.

CHARLES W. SPONSEL.

Witnesses:

J ENNIE NnLLIs, W. H. HoNIss. 

